Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. In the context of networks and the Internet, this is usually measured in Kbps or Mbps.

Gustavus Adolphus College has it's own method of controlling bandwidth fairness, so no individual user is allowed to overuse the network. This overuse may limit the amount of bandwidth allotted to other simultaneous users at the college.

Kilobits Per Second

Kbps stands for kilobits per second.

Kilo bits per second is a unit of measure relating to data transfer rates. Each kilobit per second equals 1,000 bits per second. This unit of measure is also commonly used to measure data throughput of digital audio files. For example, most standard purchased iTunes songs are rated at 128kbps.

Megabits Per Second

Mbps stands for megabits per second.

Mega bits per second is also a unit of measure relating to data transfer rates. Each megabit per second equals 1,000,000 bits per second. Mbps is usually used in slightly higher bandwidth situations such as video transfer rates and consumer broadband internet services.